Consumer Areas of Practice
Welcome to the Consumer Areas of Practice Section subportal! If you are a member of this section, from this site you will be able to access information available only to Consumer Areas of Practice Section members.
About the Consumer Areas of Practice Section
The Consumer Areas of Practice Section ("CAP Section") was created to serve as a resource on issues of law, rights, and obligations as they relate to North Carolina consumers. The Section will propose and evaluate relevant legislation in addition to providing information, educational opportunities, and other resources in an effort to protect North Carolina consumers, policyholders, and homeowners.

Topics within the scope of the CAP Section include but are not limited to the following: auto dealer fraud and vehicle-related issues, class actions, consumer bankruptcy, consumer credit and debt collection litigation, construction defects, environmental litigation, insurance bad faith, mandatory arbitration, and warranty law.

2011-12 Officers
Chair: John O'Neal (Greensboro)
Vice Chair & Ethics Chair: Sharon Dove (Gastonia)
Secretary: Suzanne Begnoche (Chapel Hill)
Immediate Past Chair: Carlene McNulty (Raleigh)
CLE Chair: VACANT
Legal Affairs Chair: VACANT
Legislative Chair: Glenn Barfield (Goldsboro)
Membership Chair: Lamar Armstrong (Smithfield)
NLD Section Liaison: J. Matt Norris (Raleigh)
PAC Chair: Michael Wimer (Asheville)
Section Listserv
CLICK HERE to access the listserv from Trialsmith. You will be directed to the Trialsmith website and will need to login with your email address (username) and Trialsmith password. If you forgot your password, type in your username and click on "Forgot Your Password?" from the Trialsmith homepage and it will be emailed to you.

The listserv address is: ncaj_consumer@lists.trialsmith.com

To join the listserv, contact Michelle LaPorte at NCAJ to set-up your listserv account.
Please click here for the Listserv Protocol & Security.
Please click here for a Listserv FAQ.
Listserv Membership List Updated February 20, 2012

Section Resources
Click Here To Access the Section Document Bank!

Consumer Areas of Practice Section Referral Directory
Section By-Laws
Section Membership Roster Updated February 20, 2012

Section Meeting Minutes - Convention 2010

Please click here to read the minutes from the Consumer Areas of Practice Section Meeting that took place at Convention in Wilmington on Sunday, June 20, 2010.

Section Meeting Minutes - Convention 2009
The Consumer Areas of Practice Section had a Section meeting on Sunday, June 21 from 8 AM to 9 AM at Convention (Sea Trail Resort, Sunset Beach, NC).
Please CLICK HERE to read the Meeting Minutes.

The Foreclosure Project
As homeowners are facing foreclosure in record numbers in North Carolina, the NC Justice Center and Legal Aid of North Carolina have requested the North Carolina Advocates for Justice's help in defending these homeowners in the foreclosure process. This is a call for volunteers! Please read below for project details.

More than 2 million people with subprime loans, which are typically granted to people with less than perfect credit, are facing foreclosure this year and nearly 20 percent of subprime mortgages issued between 2005 and 2006 are projected to fail. Our state's legal aid programs simply cannot handle the volume of these cases alone.

What are we asking for your help with?

We are requesting that attorneys represent individual homeowners who are being threatened with foreclosure or have received a notice of foreclosure hearing. You will be receiving an email with details about this project this week. Training and sample pleadings will also be provided to interested volunteers. Volunteers' responsibilities will be limited to defending foreclosures; negotiating with lender(s); and evaluating a client's affirmative remedies. You would not be asked to file civil actions as part of this program. Attorneys at Legal Aid, who have developed expertise in this area, will represent cases in which a civil suit is necessary.

The North Carolina Advocates for Justice gratefully thanks the NC Justice Center's Carlene McNulty,and Consumer Areas of Practice Section Past Chair Jim Hopf, for their leadership in spearheading this project. If you are interested in volunteering for this project or would like to share feedback, please send an email to Liz Avery-Jones.